to descend the arch. He had safely
accomplished half the distance when a ledge of mortar gave way under him
and left him hanging by his arms to the ivy. He felt in vain with his
feet for some support, but could find none. Dig's previous descent had
knocked away most of the little ledges by which they had come up.

Finally, by a desperate effort, he pulled himself up a few inches by the
ivy and managed to get a footing again. But there he stuck. He could
not go down further; and to go up would bring him no nearer Grandcourt
than he was at present. So it was Arthur shouted; and everyone thought
him an owl, and left him there in the rain to spend a pleasant evening
on the top of the great window of Wellham Abbey.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

THE HAUNTED WINDOW.

"Let me see," said the doctor, as he and Railsford met once during the
day, "I have two of your boys to see this evening. One, a prefect. Was
it necessary to send him up?"

"It was, sir. If I saw the slightest prospect of dealing properly with
him myself I would have done so. He is an enemy to the order of our
house, and, as you know, our house just now cannot afford to have more
enemies than it has."

"Your enemies are those of your own house," said the doctor sternly. "I
had expected long before this that it would have been possible to
restore it to the ordinary rights of Grandcourt. An impenetrable
mystery is a bad thing for a school."

"It is," said Railsford, feeling uncomfortable. And here the
conservation ended.

Railsford had not been long in his room that evening when Sir Digby
Oakshott knocked at the door and entered with a long face.

"Please, sir, have you seen anything of Herapath?" said he. "He's not
turned up."

"What--are you sure?"

"I've asked them all. All the others have come. I expect he'll get
pretty drenched if he's lost his way."

"He can't have lost the way--it's too simple. What was he doing at the
abbey when you last saw him?"

"Going after owls," said Dig.

"Where?"

"On the big window. We got to the top, you know; and I came down as
soon as I saw you all starting; and he shouted that he would be down in
a second, and was going to walk home; and we weren't to wait. I say, I
wonder if he's got stuck up there, or come a cropper?"

Dig's face was pale as the thought flashed across his mind. Railsford
was not a bit less concerned.

"Go quickly and see if Mr Roe has sent away his trap, and, if not, keep